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About This Site

Sensei Vince Lawrence 5th Dan has been teaching for 14 years and has helped many students of all ages achieve black belt and beyond.

About

Aikido.

Why choose AIKIDO?
Unlike other martial arts, Aikido is a non-aggressive art. There are no attacks in Aikido, only defence. There are no blocks, we learn to blend with our attacker and use their energy and momentum to complete a technique. This is why Aikido is ideal for anyone of any size or any age.

What will AIKIDO teach us?

¨ Self defence
¨ Self-discipline
¨ Self-confidence.
¨ Posture.
¨ Patience
¨ Self-Respect.
¨ Respect for others.
¨ The ability to listen, watch, learn then practice.
¨ The ability to see trouble before it starts and remove yourself out of harm’s way.
¨ The ability to defuse a situation in a calm and controlled manner.
¨ The ability to defend yourself if you need to.

Most people learn a martial art so they can defend themselves or win a fight. The strange thing is that most people who learn a martial art never have to use it.

What will an AIKIDO class involve?
¨ The correct etiquette used during an Aikido lesson.
¨ At the start of every class there will be a warm up session involving stretching exercises, these exercises will be incorporated within various technique during aikido training and it is encouraged that the student practice these at home.
¨ Aikido techniques. These are taught initially in a basic static form. The Nage performing the move and the Uki helping, by following the move with little or no resistance. This is essential to learning and essential to the protection of the Uki.
¨ The art of Ukemi. Learning the ability to forward and backward roll in a safe way as a means of protection.
¨ Relaxation and breathing techniques, which develop the ability to have a calm mind in any situation inside or outside the dojo (Class room).
¨ How to have the correct posture.
¨ Games that promote the correct way to move and how to blend with your Uki. (Juniors only)

How will I know if I am progressing?
I use two methods to monitor progression. The first, for both adults and juniors and the most common, is the belt system. The student will be entered for a grading when they are ready. I know this is a bit vague, but students progress at different rates and I do not put them through a grading just to fail. It is usual for a new student to take their first grading in one to two months, their second within two to three months after that and their third two/three months after that. All other gradings are in approximate three month intervals until they get to the higher kyu grades when it will be longer.
I do encourage all parents/guardians to come along and watch their child/children grade. All gradings are carried out in a formal manner. My assistant calls the techniques and I assess the students. At the end of the gradings new belts and certificates are awarded.
It is worth pointing out that during the first couple of gradings the students will be given help to pass. This is because generally they can remember the names of the moves and they can remember the moves but it is difficult to put the two together.
The second method I use is a badge system. This is for juniors only. There are badges for everything including etiquette, technique, entering the dojo correctly, kneeling correctly etc. I will announce the badge that the students can work towards and then give a time when the badges will be awarded, normally four to six weeks, during this time the students will have to show progress within the meaning of the badge. I also award badges to individuals for exceptional effort, respect, courtesy etc.

I am interested, what do I do next?

If you are from one of the schools I teach at then please come along to the scheduled class or if you would like more information or wish to discuss then please in the first instance email me aikidotaunton@gmail.com

If you wish to come along to Norton Fitzwarren Village hall on a Thursday 5:45pm for juniors or 6:45 for adults or West Buckland village hall on a Friday or Sunday at 5pm to have a look, give it a try or just to discuss then you are more than welcome. Please email me to let me know. aikidotaunton@googlemail.com